Kelowna's reputation as 'Napa of the north' begins to bear fruit

Sunshine and wine, fabulous food, spectacular scenery and seemingly endless possibilities for outdoor recreation -what more could you want? Kelowna is the perfect vacation destination!

Kick off your shoes and go barefoot through the sand while taking in a lake-front festival or outdoor concert. Wander through the galleries, museums and studios. Jump in your car and drive through orchards and vineyards stopping to buy sun-ripened fruits from roadside stands. Or visit some of Kelowna's award winning wineries for a tour or tastings -trust me, these would impress any wine lover.

With its exquisite wineries, acres of vines stretching over rolling hills, all set against the stunning backdrop of Okanagan Lake, the area has been likened to California's Napa Valley by National Geographic Traveler, the New York Times and Travel + Leisure magazine. The region was also listed in Sherman's Travel Magazine among its "Top 10 Places to Go Worldwide".

Still relatively undiscovered, Kelowna, is fortunately not too crowded despite playing host to visitors from all over the world. The city blends urban amenities with rural charm. Even its main street ends conveniently at one of many picturesque public beaches on 110 km-long Okanagan Lake.

Located at the northern most end of the Sonora Desert, the valley has a semi-arid climate, boasting long warm summers and short mild winters. The city of Kelowna is the largest community and is located midway through the valley. It has a population of 115,000 and is the transportation, business and service hub of the Okanagan. There are a variety of accommodations you can try in Kelowna, ranging from luxury lakeside resorts to cozy B&Bs.

Kelowna has miles of beautiful parkland and several sandy beaches from which to enjoy boating, swimming, water-skiing, windsurfing and fishing. Cycling wine tours are also a popular Kelowna pastime. A guided bike tour solves the problem of what to do with bottles of wine purchased along the way -you can put them in the tour's support van. Most guided bike wine tours are geared towards cyclists with average athletic abilities and include rental bikes, transportation, winery tours and lunch.

Kelowna's burgeoning wine industry has attracted some of Canada's most celebrated chefs who are creating memorable feasts utilizing the local bounty.

Wine, food and golf lovers will find bliss here in Kelowna. Golf enthusiasts have a whopping 17 premium courses to choose from, all within 40 minutes from one another.

How to get there

Easily accessible by highway, the drive from Vancouver to Kelowna is approximately four hours. If you want to get there quickly it's just a 60-minute flight from Vancouver or Calgary and 70 minutes from Seattle. The Kelowna International Airport, the 10th busiest in Canada, has more than 30 non-stop daily departures to Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto.

So for your next getaway, why not see what Kelowna has to offer?

Go to www.tourismkelowna.com or call 1-800-663-4345 for your travel information and be sure to stop by the Visitor Centre for up-to-the-minute information on places to stay and things to do.

Claire is the official Travel Consultant for Global BC and has appeared on the Today Show, Fox & Friends, CNN, Martha Stewart Radio and other US media.

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